7 Secrets to Help You Sell Your Home

Thinking of selling your home? Is your house already on the market? Here are some of our favorite “Selling Secrets” for helping you sell your house quickly, and for top-dollar!

7. Half-Empty Closets

Perception is everything! And clean closets doesn’t cost anything but time – making this a great investment in prepping your house for sale. Buyers are looking for storage, and they will definitely be checking out every closet in your house, imagining how THEIR items will fit. Start by taking out at least half of what you currently have in the closet, and then neatly organize what’s left. Give potential buyers the impression that there’s as much storage as they could ever possibly want in your closets!

6. Make it Bright

Buyers care a great deal about great light. Capitalize on this by making your home as bright and airy as possible! Give your windows a good scrub (inside and out), and trim any landscaping that is blocking light from coming in. Get rid of heavy drapes and valances, update your lampshades, replace burned out lightbulbs… nothing fancy is needed here, just a little elbow grease and TLC to let that light shine! The more you can make your house feel bright and cheery, the more it will appeal to buyers.

5. Hide the Pets

As much as you might like to believe your precious puppy would warm the hearts of potential buyers, sadly, you’d be wrong. Not all home buyers are pet lovers – and, overall, buyers don’t want to walk into your home and see bowls of pet food, smell the litter box, or have tufts of pet hair sticking to their clothes. These items are a cause for concern in a buyer’s mind – it can give a buyer the impression that the house is not clean or well cared for. If you’re planning an open house, find a pet sitter for your furry family members for the day. You want your home to appeal to as wide an audience as possible – including potential buyers who are not pet-friendly.

4. Fix What Needs Fixing (but don’t over-improve!)

It almost always pays off to get those quick fixes taken care of before selling your home – but excessive makeovers just before selling usually don’t. Skip the new bathroom, and instead focus on the updates that will pay off and help you get top dollar for your house. It’s never a bad idea to get a fresh coat of paint (in a neutral tone) on your walls, for example. Other great fixes include replacing your door handles, updating cabinet hardware, replacing old or leaky faucets, and cleaning your tile grout. Also make sure you’ve taken care of any minor repairs before listing your house – those little things that you always mean to get around to. Now’s the time to get it done!

3. Purge the Personality

One of the easiest (and most important!) things you should do when getting ready to sell your house is to de-personalize it. You want potential buyers to envision themselves living in the house – and if your home is full of personal items everywhere, this becomes more difficult. Start by getting rid of a third of your stuff – pack it away and put it in storage. Not only will you be one-third of the way done when it’s time to move, but your home will look less cluttered (which helps buyers to feel like your home has plenty of storage and space). Prioritize packing up the things like family photos, collections and memorabilia, and personal keepsakes. Clear your fridge of all the kid photos and art. Stage your bookshelves with generic items, and pack away the sculpture your niece made you when she was in elementary school. The more generic and less “lived in” you can make your home appear, the more buyers will be able to envision themselves going about their daily lives in the space.

2. Stay “Show-Ready”

You want to keep your house in “show-ready” form at all times. You never know when you’ll get a call that a buyer wants to walk through – so keep your home in top condition while it’s on the market. It’s inconvenient, to be sure, but it will help to get your house sold! Don’t leave dishes in the sink, keep your bathrooms sparkling, make sure your closets stay organized, etc. You’ll be grateful you put in the extra effort when you get that last-minute call about a showing request!

1. Curb Appeal Matters

Regardless of how gorgeous the inside of your home may be, buyers judge your home before they even walk through the door. As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression! You want potential buyers to feel warm, welcome, and safe from the moment they pull up to the house. Give your exterior a facelift with a good scrub, weeding, and inexpensive shrubs and brightly-colored flowers. Make sure your lawn is well-maintained, as well. Your entryway is also important – this is the first thing buyers will see when they step inside. Consider ways to make your entry feel welcoming – perhaps a small bench with a colorful throw pillow, a vase of fresh flowers, or even a plate of freshly-baked cookies. Make sure that the potential buyer gets a great impression from the very beginning.

About Us

Copyright 2018 Realcomp II Ltd. Shareholders. Real estate listings held by brokerages other than The Buckley Jolley Real Estate Team are marked with the Realcomp-approved IDX logo and are provided through IDX through Realcomp II Ltd. IDX information is provided exclusively for the consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Any use of search facilities of data on the site, other than by a consumer looking to purchase real estate, is prohibited. The accuracy of all information, regardless of source, is not guaranteed or warranted. All information should be independently verified. Data last updated: 2018-05-24T13:00:06.343.

The Buckley Jolley Real Estate Team is a Real Estate firm licensed and operating in the State of Michigan.